Buoyant propeller



(No Model.)

D. W, LORD.

BUQYANT PRGPELLER. Noi 484,503. Patented Oct. 18, 18,92,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL W. LORD, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

BUOYANT PROPELLER.

SPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 484,503, dated October 18, 1892. Application filed June 14, 1892. Serial No. 436.706. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known thatj, DANIEL W. LORD, residing at Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buoyant Propellers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to buoyant propel- 1ers.

Figure 1 is a plan of a vessel, showing one form of wheel or buoyant propeller, as hereinafter described. Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation of the propeller-wheeL'Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are broken Vertical sections of modifications of the propeller-wheel. Fig. 6 is a diagram or partial plan of propeller-buckets modified in construction, but involving the same principle of operation and Fig. 7 is a perspective of a wheel with such buckets. Fig. 8 is a broken section of a wheel with curved buckets.

The general principle of the construction of my propeller-Wheel is that it shall be always buoyant. It has a number of openmouthed buckets, which buckets contain air. The theory of operation of the propeller-wheel is that it shall rest on the water with one or more of the buckets at the bottom of the wheel, the open mouth of the bucket forming temporary walls inclosing a certain body of Water with a considerable body of air imprisoned above the water. As the water enters but a little way into the bucket, (being excluded by the imprisoned air,) the water in the bucket will be practically a stratum of limited thickness acting as a base of more or less solidity, on which the weight of the propeller is supported for an instant. The rapid advance of the buckets successively imprisons other bodies of water and air. The progression is on much the same principle as that which enables the skater to pass rapidly over thin ice or the runner to pass quickly from block to block of ice which would be insufficient to sustain the weight for a considerable length .of time. The wheel is sufficiently buoyant to support itself even when at rest. The same theory of operation is set 5o out in my patent, No. 488,815, of October. 21, 1890. In the present invention I introduce a somewhat different construction and mode of operation.

In Fig. 1, A denotes the frame or guards of the vessel or boat.

B is a bow or front compartment at the front of the wheel, which compartment preferably is entirely above water and does not extend down to the water-line.

C is the rear compartment or hull proper, which trails slightly in the water at the stern, but is mainly supported at its front by the buoyant wheel W. The hull is steered by any usual rudder.

The hull or frame may have side wings or buoys D, which may be a little above water. Should the boat tip or waves run high one or both of these buoys D will rest on the water and give stability. The form of the buoy Will be such as to give as little resistance as may be to the progress of the boat. The wheel W may have a shaft provided with cranks E, said shaft having bearings in the frame, or other connections may be made, so that the buoyant wheel W will support the boat, or at least the front part thereof, instead of being supported by the frame or hull. The Wheel may be driven by power connected to the shaftsay at cranks E-or in other manner, as hereinafter stated. Such a craft is designed especially to run for short distances at high speeds over the surface of the water to carry light loads, as to carry a lifeline from shore to a wrecked vessel, or possibly to carry a pilot. It may also be utilized to carry a torpedo, or for other purposes.

The main feature of novelty of my propellerwheel lies in the means by which the wheelcompartments are relieved of water to prevent dragging or lifting of the Water by the wheel. The wheel W is of light weight and has a large number of buckets with open mouths at its periphery. As the wheel rotates, these buckets are brought in rapid succession upon the surface of the water, confining the air in the buckets and largely excluding the water by means of this body of confined air. As the (which I call the advanced side of the bucket) rises from the water the bucket opens to the external air; but I provide an opening to the air in advance of this, or at least in adside of the bucket which iirst enters the water IOO vance ofthe opening of any considerable area of the main bucket to the air, in any one of several Ways.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, it will be seen that the cylindrical surface of the wheel is divided into openmouthed buckets in series, l 2 3, dac., denoting the outer buckets and a b c, &c.,the central buckets, which buckets are separated from each other by partitions running in planes parallel to the shattor axis, and by the disks H H forming partitions parallel with the end walls I I of the wheel. The partitions M M between the bucketsrl 2 3 are placed tangent to the hub O. Thus the buckets l 2, &c., are Wedge-shaped, but do not extend to the center of the Wheel. The buckets a b c are separated by radialpartitions Q, and these open-ended wedge-shaped buckets do extend tothe center of the wheel, or nearlyso. Fromthis arrangement, as shownin Fig. 2, it willbe seen that the Vbucket 3, for instance, may have an opening through the partition H into either one of the'buckets a', b, or c of the radial or middle series of buckets. (The partit-ion is shown broken, so that bucket 3 communicates with buckets band c; but this is merely to illustrate. Openings `may "be made in `the partitions, as ata: oraccording to the connection desired.) With ai given area 'of the bucket and velocity of wheel movement lit is desirable to carry the opening a short dis-l tance in the lead, while with other proportionsL a greater lead is desirable.

Therefore the bucket 3 in onevariety of Wheels will have;

`:an opening near its narrow inner end'iuto the bucket b and all the other bucketsin series` l 23,650., with corresponding openings.

per portion of the buckets is equalized and the 'air is`-`somewhat compressed. The partitions formingthe buckets hold a stratum of-water iuclosed in the mout-hof the buckets 3 and b. As'the mouth of bucket b rises above the yWater-line the air in both buckets b and 3 is :putinto communication with the outercair through the mouth of bucket b. At this time bothbuckets are risingand usually at a-speed greater than thatwith which `water which has been depressedwill rise to its normal level. Consequently there is a tendency` to produce a `vacuum in the bucket 3; but as air is free to enter this bucket fromV the bucket l), which communicates with the outer air, this tendency is overcome andthe water-isprevented `from being lift-ed or draggedV up at the rear -side `of the wheel by suction.

The-relation of bucket-4 tofbucket c-is the same as that just described of bucket 3 to bucket b, and it must be borne inV mind that buckets l; enter the water to sustain the wheel by their buoyancy before buckets 3 and bbccome non-buoyant, so that the wheel is not permitted to sink into the water to any considerable depth. l

With the construction described the two outer buckets 3 3 are connected in like mannerto the bucket, as b, of the central series, so that when all these buckets have their mouths in the water the two buckets 3 3 act as one bucket, and the series is made up of the-'two buckets of the outer rows and the one bucket of the inner row.

As has beenv described, the proportions or the speed maybe suchthat it is desirable to have-buckets 3 open into bucket a, bucketslt into bucket b, and so on-that is, the large or whatllnay be called buoyant 'buckets may open into either 'the first or second small o'r air-passage bucket in advance, butthe series will be uniform byvpreference.

Instead of having one series of bucketsradial and another tangential to the axle, all may be tangentialin opposite directions, o'r some of the buckets may overlap others in other ways. Precisely the same result will be effected byan arrangement of pipes. p 15,&c.,

whichllead from the buckets o 02 o?, &c.,"to

the side of the bucket in advance, as shown in lFig. 3, the v'pipes being open throughout their length-that is, pipe p, leadingfrom the interiorof bucket o2 to the'front part of bucket o', -is an equivalent lfor'the `bucket`bhaving an air-passage leading fromthe bucket"3and opening in advance of said bucket.

In Fig. 4 the arrangement of buckets 1020, dac., is shown, with pipes 1F21?, &c., leading to the second bucket in front, the relationV of the buckets and pipes being the same'asthe ydescribed relation `of thefbucket 4 with the bucket b,-Fig. 2.

Fig 5 shows an arrangement of pipes ab bp, &c.,with buckets 11 12, `&c.,"having `partitions tangent tothe hub instead df radial to the hub. The operation will be apparent. The-form of the outer ends of the pipes and the radial distance of the mouths o'f said pipes 'fromthe center of the wheel may vary accord- &c., having a narrow `leading-trough 1c 2c,

dac. The leading-trough=has the sameiunction hereinbefore described for the small leading-buckets orf for the leading-tubes--that is, the main bucket communicates with asmaller or-advance buoketor passage which enters and leaves the `water-in advance of= the main bucket.

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Fig. 8 shows the principle applied to arched or curved buckets. i

From the foregoing it will be understood that numerous structures can be made on the same general principle. No deiiniterule can be laid down for construct-ion which will apply under all circumstances.

The wheel may have a central chamber, in which air or gases may be confined, or this central chamber may contain the motor-such asastorage-battery, a momentum or fly wheel, a rocket composition, or other source of energy--or a coil of conducting-Wire to propel or steer the machine may be carried in the Wheel or on the hull and played out as the boat progresses, as in some forms of torpedoboat.

The boat may be propelled by a screw at the stern or by any other mechanism or mode of propulsion, and the wheel, rolling over the surface of the Water, will tend to raise and support the load. The buoyant wheel itself when put in rapid rotation will act as a iiywheel and drive the boat until its momentum v is exhausted.

The boat illustrated has only one wheel shown; but of course any desirable arrangement of wheels may be made to secure stability. Boats with wheels arranged at the angles of a triangle or a square are Well known, and I may arrange my wheels in some such manner when desirable.

I do not herein claim the construction of hull in connection with the wheel, the same being held to be a separate invention, I hereby reserve all rights which I may have as inventor to said invention.

I claim- 1. The buoyant propeller having openmouthed buckets, substantially as described, with air-passages from those buckets opening a distance in advance of the main mouths of said buckets.

2. The buoyant propeller-wheel of generally-cylindrical form, having open-mouthed buckets around its periphery, each bucket having an air-duct opening in advance of the main mouth.

3. Thebuoyant propeller-wheel having openmouthed buckets radial to its shaft and other buckets tangential to said shaft, the series of buckets being side by side in the Wheel and overlapping and having openings connecting certainof the buckets in series, substantially as described.

4. The wheel having open-mouthed buckets arranged side by side and air-passages leading from the inside of such buckets to points in advance of the leading edges of the buckets proper, substantially as described.

5. The wheel having water-tight overlapping buckets with their mouths outward and having air-passages connecting certain of the buckets in series, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aftix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL W. LORD.

Witnesses:

W. A. BARTLETT, PHiLIP F. LARNER. 

